


Black Cats Bring Luck

by whitehorsetiger



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cats, Developing Relationship, Familiars, Fluff, M/M, Magic, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-18
Updated: 2019-09-18
Packaged: 2020-11-02 09:00:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20692061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whitehorsetiger/pseuds/whitehorsetiger
Summary: Lance wandered into an alley, peering through the darkness to try and see what was there. There was a loud crash as a bin beside him fell over, making Lance jump to the side and look over. There, an incredibly wet, scraggly, and miserable looking cat stood shivering by the wall.On his way home from work, Lance comes across a black cat in an alleyway. He decides to take it home and take care of it until  its actual owner comes to claim it. Little does he know, everything is not what it seems with his cat.





	Black Cats Bring Luck

** Lance **

Rain was hammering down all around him, but Lance didn’t care all that much. He was reasonably sheltered under his umbrella and the rain had never really bothered him anyway. What did bother him was a car going far too fast, far too close to the curb. It hit the puddle right next to Lance, drenching him from the waist down.

“Asshole,” Lance hissed under his breath, stumbling slightly from where he’d tried to jump away, “Dickhead did that on purpose.”

Huffing out an irritated breath, Lance continued on his march home. It would be fine. He’d get home, kick back, order some takeout and just enjoy the rest of the evening. Gah, he couldn’t wait!

A high-pitched noise caught Lance’s attention—he was lucky to hear it over the rain. He froze, glancing over to where he thought he heard the sound. There it was again, it sounded like meowing. Well, Lance was curious now.

He wandered into an alley, peering through the darkness to try and see what was there. There was a loud crash as a bin beside him fell over, making Lance jump to the side and look over. There, an incredibly wet, scraggly, and miserable looking cat stood shivering by the wall. It was jet black, which was likely why Lance hadn’t seen it immediately. Lance felt his heart melt. He couldn’t just leave the poor thing out in the rain.

“Hey, buddy,” Lance said softly, crouching down so he hopefully wouldn’t scare the poor thing, “What are you doing out here all alone? Are you lost?”

Lance edged forwards, moving as slowly as he could. The cat looked up at him, meowing softly.

“Is that right?” Lance said, “Well why don’t we get you in out of the rain? Huh? That would be nice wouldn’t it?”

He was almost in touching distance, and the cat didn’t immediately sprint away, or hiss, or growl. It had to be someone’s lost pet.

“How about I bring you inside, then we can find your owner in the morning, hey?” Lance said, “Wouldn’t that be nice?”

The cat began to grumble, taking half a step back. Lance stopped.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay, I won’t hurt you, I promise. I just want to get you somewhere warm and dry.”

Putting his umbrella to the side, not all that fussed about the rain falling on his head, Lance reached out. The cat stiffened as Lance picked it up, but didn’t immediately try to savage his hand. Lance counted that as a win. Tucking the shivering animal inside his coat, Lance grabbed his umbrella and made his way home as quickly as he could without running.

****

It was a bit awkward, trying to fumble with his umbrella and his keys with a cat in his jacket, but he managed eventually. Shutting the door behind him, Lance opened his jacket to let the cat jump out. It peered around for a moment, nose twitching as it took in the new environment. A split second later, it streaked off, diving to hide under the sofa.

Lance chuckled to himself, “I don’t know what I was expecting.”

Oh well, they were in the dry now anyway, and was probably so much safer than it was in the alley.

Lance let out a long breath, placing his hands on his hips. He needed some supplies, even if it was just for tonight. Stripping off his coat and putting on some dry shoes, Lance wandered over to his opposite neighbour and best friend Hunk. After all, Hunk had a cat and would definitely be willing to lend him some stuff.

“Hunk!” Lance called, hammering on his door, “Hunk! I need to borrow some stuff!”

“Alright, give me a minute,” Hunk called back.

“It’s important!”

“Yes, okay, give me a second.”

Another few seconds and Hunk opened the door, his cat, Yellow, clutched in his arms. “What’s up?”

“I need to borrow some stuff for a cat,” Lance said brightly.

Hunk blinked, before putting his hands on his hips. “What did you do?”

“I didn’t _do _anything, there was a cat outside in an alley and I need some supplies until I can find its owner!” Lance explained, “I’ll also need to borrow a carry case, and the number for your vet.”

Hunk let out a long breath, before shaking his head with a smile. “Alright, come on in. I’ll gather together everything you need,” he said, taking a step back.

“Thank you, I owe you one.”

“Eh, don’t worry about it,” Hunk said with a wave, “I’m sure I owed you for something before.”

“Aww, thanks man.”

“But if it’s longer than a couple of days you might want to get your own stuff,” Hunk continued, raiding one of his cupboards.

“Who wouldn’t want to claim that cutie?!” Lance said brightly, “Doesn’t look like it’s been out for very long.”

“Fair enough,” Hunk agreed, straightening up with armfuls of stuff, “I’ll just grab you some food and that should do it.”

Lance smiled. “Thanks. Appreciate it, dude.”

Hunk handed him the pile of things, before they made their way into the kitchen. Yellow had clambered up onto her cat tree, splaying out on one of the shelves.

“Alright, here’s some food,” Hunk said, adding some packets onto the pile, “And…” He quickly scribbled out something on a strip of paper, “Here’s the number for my vet.”

“Perfect! Thank you.”

“No problem, you’ll have to tell me how it goes,” Hunk said, walking Lance back to the door.

“Will do,” he said, hefting the pile of supplies, “See you tomorrow.”

“See you,” Hunk said, letting him out.

****

Even after he’d set everything up, and put some food down, and called the vet to book an appointment, the cat still hadn’t emerged from under the sofa. Lance wasn’t too worried though, it had to be a little traumatising for the poor thing.

Lance continued his night, ordering takeout and flicking on the TV, then settling himself in his armchair and relaxing back. By the time his food arrived there was no movement from under the sofa. Alright, no worries. As long as he could get the cat out tomorrow to go to the vet it would be okay.

After a little while, a small head poked out. Lance didn’t move, simply watching as the cat peered around. Very slowly, the cat edged out. It glanced around, ears and nose twitching as it wriggled out. Lance smiled as its tail twitched, head turning and eyes landing on Lance. It had really odd coloured eyes for a cat.

“Hey, buddy,” Lance called softly, “I know it’s a little scary but it’s better than being out in the rain, hey?”

The cat’s ears twitched, taking a few steps towards Lance before twitching its whiskers. Lance stood up slowly. When the cat didn’t run away, he slowly walked over to the kitchen. The cat watched him, flicking its tail.

“Food’s here if you want it,” Lance said, crouching by the bowl he’d put down.

The cat hesitated, before slowly padding over to the kitchen. Now Lance could get a good look at it. It clearly hadn’t been living out on the street too long, looking a little rough, but nothing too dramatic. Lance took a few steps back, returning to his chair so the cat could investigate the bowl.

The cat sniffed at the food, then took a couple of mouthfuls, before wandering back to hide under the sofa again. Alright, this was going to be alright, no problem.

****

There were three things he learnt from the vet trip. One, the cat was a boy. Two, he didn’t have a microchip. And three, other than being slightly malnourished, he was in really good condition. Lance was relieved. He didn’t think he could cover expensive vet bills.

“Sorry about that, buddy,” Lance said, opening the carry case, “I needed to make sure you were okay.”

The cat streaked out, sprinting full-pelt to hide back under the sofa.

“Yeah,” Lance muttered, “Don’t think I’m getting you back out from under there.”

Grabbing his laptop, Lance very quickly constructed a found cat poster. All he needed was a picture. Remembering his promise to Hunk, Lance pulled out his phone.

**Lance: **Cat’s fine, I just need to feed him, no chip though

**Hunk: **Ah, that’s not good, but it’s good he’s healthy

**Lance: **Yeah, I’m putting together a found cat poster

**Hunk: **Nice, just don’t make it too cluttered like the last one

**Lance: **Are you doubting my art skills?!

**Hunk: **Honestly, yes sorry man but you’re not the best

**Lance: **How dare… my own best friend… complete and utter betrayal… I have never…

**Hunk: **Lance

**Hunk: **Lance, stop

**Hunk: **Your posters are fine

**Hunk: **But why don’t you send it to me to proof read first?

**Lance: **I would, but I need a picture, I think he’s sulking at me for taking him to the vet

“Hey, it was for your own good you know,” Lance called out.

**Hunk: **Aww man, well you need to get those posters out asap

**Lance: **Yeah, I know, can’t exactly force the cat to take a picture though

**Hunk: **Oh yeah, I know

Groaning, Lance tossed his phone to one side. “Well, I need some lunch,” he said, standing up, “And I’m going to assume you’re not going to emerge for a while.”

Lance had just opened a packet of ham, when he felt something brush against his leg. Glancing down, Lance smiled as he spotted the cat, stood at his feet looking up.

“Am I forgiven?” Lance asked, “Or do you just want some ham?”

Tearing off a chunk, Lance tossed it down, watching the cat devour it. Sure, he probably shouldn’t do this, but the poor thing did need to put on some weight.

“Just don’t expect this all the time.”

Grabbing his phone, Lance quickly snapped a picture when the cat looked up. Perfect, now he could finish his poster.

****

One week. One entire week had passed and he’s received no inquires about the cat. Sure, it was possible the owner just hadn’t seen the posters, or the numerous social media posts Lance had put out, but with each passing day it became less and less likely.

Lance couldn’t keep mooching off of Hunk though, so he went out and bought some of his own supplies. After all, even though there was still a possibility the cat’s owner could come for him, Lance enjoyed having a cat around. Even though he didn’t really want to interact with Lance all that much, only allowing himself to be petted when he was in a really good mood. It was nice having something there though, something he could just spend some time with. So, if the cat’s owner did come and claim him, Lance would most certainly be getting another cat.

“I should probably give you a name, huh?” Lance said, “Just a temporary one until your owner gets you. I can’t just keep referring to you as ‘the cat,’ can I?”

The cat looked up at him, flicking his tail idly and meowing.

“No, you’re right.”

Lance could hear Hunk saying he shouldn’t name the cat, that he’d just get attached. Hunk was probably right. Lance didn’t really care.

“I’m going to call you ‘Midnight,’” Lance decided, “I know not very creative, but I think it suits you.”

Midnight twitched his tail, rubbing himself against Lance’s leg before heading to his bed and curling up.

“Yeah, that’s good, we’re going to go with that.”

****

Two weeks passed, still no news. Midnight seemed to have settled in. He was still a bit grumpy, but seemed to be happy. He refused to meet any of Lance’s friends, instead choosing to hide under Lance’s bed. Oh well.

It had been a rough day at work. Lance was thoroughly exhausted and was incredibly glad he had some leftover soup to reheat.

“Hey, buddy,” Lance called as he walked in.

Midnight opened his eyes from where he was laid out on the windowsill, letting out a meow. Lance smiled, it was moments like these that made him appreciate having a cat.

“It’s been a bit of a rough day,” Lance sighed, “Long you know. Not that you would you’re a cat, all you do is sleep all day.”

Collapsing onto the sofa, Lance covered his eyes with his arm. A few seconds later, a paw hit his arm. Midnight had relinquished his position on the windowsill, instead coming to lay at Lance’s side.

“You want some attention?” Lance smiled, resting his hand on Midnight’s side.

He lay right against Lance, settling comfortably against him. Lance began to pet him, causing the cat to relax more against his side, closing his eyes happily. Lance couldn’t help but smile, feeling some of his tension melt away. It was so nice.

****

Three weeks passed, still no news. Midnight was fully settled in, strutting around Lance’s apartment like he owned the place. He still didn’t like other people though.

Lance turned up the radio, wriggling a little as he chopped vegetables. Midnight had sat himself down on one of the chairs at the dining table, tail swishing. Lance began to sing along, bouncing over to the pan in a strange almost-dance. He tossed the vegetables in. Midnight was giving him a judgemental look. He was a cat though, almost all his looks seemed judgemental.

Placing his finished dinner down on the dining table, opposite Midnight, Lance settled himself down. Midnight turned around, so he was facing Lance. Grinning, Lance snapped a picture and sent it to Hunk.

**Lance: **Having dinner with the beau

**Hunk: **Well, you two seem happy

**Lance: **We are

**Hunk: **Any news about his owner?

**Lance: **Nothing, maybe he was abandoned? Although why someone would want to give up such a sweetie I will never know

**Hunk: **Ah man, it’s only been a couple of weeks though? But sometimes I really don’t understand people

**Lance: **I know, assholes

**Hunk: **Assholes

“Did your owners ditch you, buddy,” Lance asked, looking over at Midnight, “That sucks, sweetie, but I’ll take care of you, don’t worry.”

Midnight blinked, Lance took that as appreciation.

****

Week four and Lance was really starting to suspect Midnight was abandoned.

Lance leant back, resting his feet up on the footstool. Sighing, he frowned at the document he had open. He hated doing work at home. He just couldn’t concentrate all that well. Either that or what he was currently doing was just frustrating and tedious. Honestly, it was probably the latter.

Meowing caught his attention. Midnight was on the ground, with his paws on the sofa cushions.

“Sorry, buddy, I need to get this done,” Lance sighed, “I’ll pay attention to you in a minute.”

Apparently, this wasn’t good enough, Midnight hopped up onto the sofa. To Lance’s complete surprise, he wandered right onto Lance’s knee. Padding it for a moment, he curled up contently, continuing to pad slightly.

Lance blinked, before resting his hand on Midnight’s side. When he didn’t move away, Lance moved to scratch his cheek. Midnight pressed his head into Lance’s hand. Who was Lance to deny his kitty cuddles?

****

Week five, Lance made another post about his found cat, nothing.

Lance was having a rough day, he’d woken up feeling like garbage. Dragging himself to work, actually working, then dragging himself all the way home had left him drained and exhausted. Crawling into bed, Lance buried his face in the pillow. Ah, sweet bed, why did he ever leave it?

There was a slight creaking sound as the door to his bedroom opened. Lance lifted his head, spotting Midnight wandering over.

“Oh, hi, buddy,” Lance greeted, sitting up, “Sorry I didn’t say hi to you. Ah shoot I need to feed you don’t I? God I’m a terrible cat owner, sorry, buddy.”

Lance moved to get up, but Midnight hopped up onto the bed. He padded over, before splaying himself across Lance’s chest.

“Um, alright,” Lance said, laying back down.

Lance scratched behind Midnight’s ears. To his complete surprise, the cat began to purr.

“Oh, hey, you’ve never done that before.”

Midnight rubbed his head against Lance’s face, settling himself contentedly on Lance’s chest.

“Love you too, buddy,” Lance chuckled.

Lance didn’t usually eat on rough days like this. Although his stomach rumbled, he didn’t want to get up. Midnight would not be having that though. He got up and began to meow, wandering to the door and meowing.

“Ah yeah, alright, I’ll feed you,” Lance said, getting up, “Feed myself too while I’m at it. I think I have something in the freezer.”

Midnight mowed again, moving to push open the door.

“Alright, alright, I’m coming, I’m coming,” Lance said, shuffling over.

Yeah, having a cat was a really good thing.

****

Week six, still nada.

“Hey, Allura!” Lance shouted across the park, holding his hand up in greeting.

“Lance!” Allura called back, waving him enthusiastically over.

He jogged over, taking in Allura, who he hadn’t seen in six years and the man she was standing beside. He was tall and very muscular, a scar over his nose and a shock of white hair peeking out from under his hat.

“And you must be Shiro,” Lance said, extending his hand, “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Good to meet you too,” Shiro said, shaking Lance’s hand, “Allura has told me a lot about you.”

Lance smiled. “Please tell me she’s giving me a glowing recommendation.”

Shiro smirked. “Mostly.”

“Oh no,” Lance whined, pinching the bridge of his nose, “I can think of so many things you could have told him.”

“Don’t worry.” Allura grinned cheekily. “I kept most of your secrets.”

Lance groaned, burying his face in his hands. “Gah, you’re so mean. So mean.”

Allura threw back her head and laughed, grabbing Lance’s arm and tugging him along. “Come on, you told me you’d show us your favourite café!” she said brightly.

“Oh, yes I did.” Lance grinned.

“Oh, I brought you a plant,” Allura said, holding out a carrier back.

“Ooo,” Lance replied, “Nice.”

Allura was Lance’s childhood friend. When Allura had moved away to go to private school they’d continued to email and Allura had taken to sending him potted plants. They were all amazing, some exotic, some flowers, some herbs, and Lance adored every single one.

Now she and her friend Shiro were moving to town. Allura to take a new job and Shiro to be closer to where his boyfriend lived. It was nice to hang out again. It had been so long since he’d last seen her in person. Lance was incredibly glad his small crush he’d had on her had faded to nothing by now.

“Hey, Pidge!” Lance called out as he entered the small café, “How’s it going?”

“It was great before you came in,” Pidge replied, already typing in the till, “The usual?”

“Yes please.” Lance grinned brightly. “And whatever those two are having.”

“Oh no, no, no, I’m paying,” Allura said, pulling out her card, “You go find us a table, you want a muffin?”

“You are too good to me,” Lance replied, smiling.

“Oh, believe me.” Allura grinned. “I know.”

“Wow,” Pidge said, “How on earth did you befriend her?”

“Maybe I’m just a charming person.” Lance grinned.

Pidge burst out laughing. Lance stuck his tongue out as he made his way over to an empty table.

****

Week seven, Lance bought Midnight a collar. It was dark blue and had a tag with his name and phone number engraved on it. Just in case he got out of the apartment. He was hesitant to get him microchipped though. After all there was still a chance, no matter how small, his actual owner would come to claim him.

“Are you sure you actually have a cat,” Pidge asked, relaxing back into the cushions of the sofa.

“He’s really nervous okay?” Lance sighed, “It took a while for him to even let me pet him.”

Pidge laughed, “And, you’re down!”

“Oh! Come on!” Lance complained, tossing his controller down, “You did that on purpose!”

“Not my fault you’re easily distracted!” Pidge laughed, rolling her head to crack her neck.

“No! Come on!” Lance groaned, “Hunk, tell her she’s cheating.”

“Pidge, you were cheating,” Hunk said idly, clearly not paying attention.

Pidge rolled her eyes. “Sore loser. Oh, you know that plant Allura gave you?” Pidge nodded to the offender. “You might want to move it to the windowsill. It likes bright sunlight.”

“Oh, right,” Lance said, “Really? Because I looked it up and…”

“My mum grew them,” Pidge explained, “The internet says they want shade, but they really do grow better in sunlight. You just need to move them when they flower.”

“Ahh,” Lance said, nodding, “Right.”

“No problem.” Pidge shrugged.

“You know it’s amazing how she manages to get all these plants,” Hunk added.

“Well, you know her uncle travels all over the world,” Lance replied, shrugging.

There was a slight creak of a door, Lance glanced over. Midnight was peeking out from the bedroom.

“Oh, hey, buddy, are you going to say hello?” he called.

Pidge glanced over and Midnight vanished back into Lance’s room.

“No, now I know you’re messing with me!” she said, hitting Lance in the arm.

“Told you!” Lance laughed, “He’s just nervous!”

****

Week eight, not much to note.

Lance was frantically putting together a dinner for Allura, Shiro, and Shiro’s boyfriend Adam. He really did want to make a good impression. Midnight was content watching him from the dining room chair.

“Alright,” Lance said, when everything was in the oven, “Okay, this is going alright, this is going to go alright.”

Midnight meowed, swishing his tail idly.

Lance grabbed his plates and cutlery, setting them all out neatly, along with napkins. Lance was pretty damn proud of what he’d set up. Just in time too, as there was a knock on the door.

Midnight sprang from the dining room chair, making his swift way to Lance’s bedroom.

“Drama queen,” Lance muttered under his breath.

There was another insistent knock on the door.

“Yes, I’m coming, I’m coming,” Lance called, “Hang on.”

He opened the door and it was not Allura. It was a man.

“Um, can I help you?” Lance asked, looking the guy up and down.

“Yes, I believe you have my cat,” he said, holding up one of Lance’s found cat posters.

Lance felt something heavy drop into his stomach. He shook himself internally though. No, this was expected, this was the inevitable conclusion.

“Oh, yeah, of course, come on in. I’ll, ah, I’ll go get him.”

Lance wandered into his bedroom, where Midnight was curled up on his bed. The cat looked up, giving a soft mew.

“Hey, buddy, you’re going to be so excited when you see who’s here,” Lance said, reaching down and undoing his collar.

Midnight look confused as Lance picked him up, but settled quickly in his arms. That was until he stepped out into the living room and Midnight got a good look at who was there.

“Ah, hello, Keith, it’s so good to see you again,” the man said.

Lance had two immediate thoughts, one, Keith was a stupid name for a cat, two Keith did not seem all that happy to see the guy.

He hissed, wriggling in Lance’s arms until he squirmed his way out and made a beeline for under the sofa.

“Now, come on, Keith, it’s time to go home,” the man said.

“Dude, he doesn’t seem to want to go with you,” Lance pointed out, taking a step forwards.

“This does not concern you,” the man hissed.

“It does. He doesn’t want to go with you.”

The growling and hissing from under the sofa confirmed Lance’s theory.

“Oh, shut up,” the man spit angrily, “That creature is mine and I want him back.”

Lance bristled, oh, hell, no.

“No,” Lance said, stepping in front of the guy, “He doesn’t want to go with you.”

“This has nothing to do with you,” the man said again.

This time, he took action. He swung his hand out hitting Lance with the flat of it. Lance expected the sting of the slap, what he didn’t expect was the bolt of pure agony running through him. Lance screamed, stumbling to the side. The pain just continued, searing every nerve. Lance had never felt anything like it before, he just couldn’t stop screaming.

The pain very suddenly stopped, and Lance gasped out in relief. Keith had attached himself to the man’s wrist, clawing and biting at it. He sprang off the wrist and, right in front of Lance’s eyes began to change. Okay, Lance had to be hallucinating from the pain. He had transformed from a small black cat into a guy. The guy—Keith? Threw his hands out, blocking the man’s view of Lance.

“Leave him alone!” he shouted.

“He is being troublesome,” the man said.

The pain started up again and Lance screeched. Keith(?) tackled the man to the ground, growling like the cat had before.

“What is happening here!?” Allura shrieked, breaking the door open, “What are you doing to Lance?!”

Lance didn’t know what happened next. As the man swung his hand down there was a sudden burst of agony and Lance’s entire world went black.

** Keith **

**Three months ago…**

Keith woke up by the side of the road, twitching in pain. Drowsily lifting up his head, he looked around. He was all alone, in the middle of nowhere with no idea where he was or how to get back. Not that he ever wanted to go back.

Keith was a familiar. His two forms were black cat and human; not overly unusual for a familiar. There was one problem though—Keith’s witch hated him. He was furious that he’d ended up with Keith, instead of something much cooler, like Keith’s best friend and pseudo-brother Shiro, who was a lion. Not only that, but Keith wasn’t just an uncool animal, he was only an empath. Therefore, not particularly powerful magic-wise.

Basically, his witch felt he was ripped off, and hated Keith as a result of that. It had led to this, his witch only keeping Keith around long enough to find out how to sever their connection. It had been an agonizing process, one that had taken far too long to complete. It had ended like this, with Keith passing out and being dumped at the side of the road.

Finally, the pain had subsided enough for Keith to slowly climb to his feet. Letting out a long breath, he looked around. Alright, this… wasn’t the worst situation in the world. Sure he couldn’t think of anything worse right now, but there probably was. Keith could do this. He could survive as a stray cat. After all, he couldn’t really become a person, his ears and tail would be a dead giveaway to him being a familiar. Humanity’s lack of knowledge on magic really made some things inconvenient.

Right, he was going to follow this road, and hopefully he would reach a city or something. Eating rubbish was not preferable, but it would keep him alive. Unfortunately, he only had little cat legs to walk on.

****

It took almost a whole week to get to the city. Keith was exhausted and hungry, but he’d finally made it and, for the next three weeks, he survived. It wasn’t the most glamorous life but Keith made do. He had considered moving on several times, but there was something keeping him here, in this city. Keith had no idea why, but he had to find out.

One month after his abandonment, Keith was wandering around in one of the back alleyways when it began to rain. Oh great, this was just perfect. Keith shook himself off and tried to find shelter. It wasn’t difficult pressing himself right against the building. Keith yowled, not to anyone in particular, just at the sheer injustice of everything.

He yowled again, then he felt a shift in the air. Someone was coming down the alleyway. They were human, but there was something about them. An aura surrounding the person, something relaxing and soothing and not just to do with Keith’s empathic abilities. He—it was a guy—continued forwards. Keith jumped slightly to the side, causing the bin beside him to fall over. Oh, the guy certainly knew he was there now.

Oh no, Keith had been spotted! The guy was very slowly walking towards him. He was speaking in a soothing voice, Keith could recognise the words but he wasn’t really paying attention. Pair his generally soothing aura with his voice and the smooth, calming feeling of his mind, Keith couldn’t help but relax. He barely even responded when he was scooped up and tucked into the man’s jacket.

It was so warm and cosy inside the jacket, Keith snuggled closer to the source of the warmth. He didn’t care that it was a little embarrassing, he needed this. The human continued to carry him through the street, and Keith was relieved. He’d be brought into a warm house, probably be fed—Keith was not below eating cat food—and be ready to go in the morning.

The building he was brought to was absolutely swamped with magical energy, and Keith tensed a little. Why was a human living in a building full of magical beings? This guy was certainly human. Keith remembered the soothing aura the man gave out. If it had attracted him to this man, no doubt it would attract other magical beings.

He was brought up to the guy’s apartment and let out onto the floor. Keith bolted for the sofa; he needed somewhere to collect himself. The man laughed. Keith shuffled more under the sofa, letting out a couple of harsh breaths. Alright, he could manage this. All he had to do was not give the fact he was a familiar away.

Keith yawned. For the first time in ages he could relax somewhat. He was inside, warm, dry and was that the human coming back? He was kind of hungry though. Maybe the human had brought back some food. As Keith said, he was more than hungry enough to eat cat food.

****

Keith could not deal with this. It had been humiliating going to the vet. Keith couldn’t believe he had to go through that. Sure, the man, Lance, didn’t know he was actually a familiar and not a normal cat and—hang on. Lance didn’t know Keith wasn’t a cat. He would just treat him like an ordinary animal. This… Keith could work with this.

His witch would not be looking for him. Even if Lance put out lost cat posters no one would be able to recognise him as a familiar from a picture. Provided he didn’t show himself to any magical beings, Keith could hide out here as an ordinary cat until he got his strength back before moving on. Perfect.

Keith heard a packet being opened. Okay, he was hungry enough to forgive Lance for taking him to the vet.

****

One week later and Keith could certainly leave. He didn’t really want to though. Sure, he was living as just a cat, which he should honestly find humiliating. Sure, Lance could be loud and a little annoying, but at the same time he could be so sweet. Keith was warm, full, and content and honestly couldn’t really ask for more out of life. Maybe just living as a cat wouldn’t be so bad.

The only problem Keith was having was all of Lance’s friends seemed to be magical beings, but the man himself had no idea of this. Keith had a solution for that though: he just hid in the spare room of Lance’s apartment. Occasionally loud and annoying as he could be, Lance never forced Keith to do something he didn’t want to do. Well, other than that vet visit.

Keith didn’t _hate _the name Midnight. He didn’t think it was a particularly good name, but it was not the worst. It wasn’t as if he could tell Lance his real name, so being referred to as Midnight would have to do.

****

Two weeks and Keith found himself incredibly happy. The life of a domestic housecat was fantastic!

He opened his eyes as the apartment door opened and closed. There was Lance and, boy, did he look rough. Keith didn’t have to concentrate to use his powers—they just sort of happened—so he could feel Lance’s sour mood from all the way across the room.

Lance slumped down, talking idly to Keith. Although Keith could understand him, he often didn’t listen all that well. Lance’s emotions were always so overwhelming, and Keith often found himself consumed by them.

Lance collapsed on the sofa and he was just, totally miserable. Keith didn’t like getting petted, although to be fair he had never actually been petted, but now he would make an exception. Hopping down from his place on the windowsill, Keith padded over to the sofa. He hopped up beside Lance, making his way over to lay beside his leg.

Lance reached down and began to pet Keith’s side and, oh, oh god that felt good. How was Lance doing that? Why did that feel so good? Keith had given up all pretence of dignity, splaying himself out and pressing against Lance’s thigh. Oh man, this felt _amazing_.

****

Three weeks and Keith had decided he was probably going to stay for much longer than he originally planned.

Lance was a complete goof, dancing around his kitchen like that. If he had the ability to as a cat, Keith would have probably smiled. He was content to watch and listen to Lance sing. He was surprisingly good.

Lance settled himself down at the other side of the table, snapping a quick picture of Keith while he was at it. Letting out a long breath, Keith swished his tail. Of all the humans that could have picked him up, given him shelter and food, Keith was glad it was Lance.

****

Four weeks. Yeah, Keith was a cat now. He was living here for as long as he could get away with.

Lance was stressed with whatever he was doing. Probably his work. Keith didn’t know what Lance did, just that it sometimes stressed him out, but he mostly enjoyed it. So nothing all that unusual there. Keith didn’t really know all that much about normal human jobs, having only spent time around witches and other familiars before.

Keith meowed, looking up at Lance. Lance brushed it off. Keith was a little offended. Jumping onto the sofa, Keith padded onto Lance’s knee. His feline instincts took over and he began to pad the soft surface. Lets see Lance ignore him now.

It worked! Lance reached down and began to pet Keith. Yeah, that was good. He seemed to find a great spot on Keith’s cheeks and he was just gone. Oh, man, yes.

****

Five weeks, five all weeks Keith had been living here, as a cat.

Something was wrong, something was very wrong. Keith had woken up that morning to something thunderous filling the apartment, something that made him want to hide away and not do anything. It was emanating from Lance, but Keith couldn’t do anything before he left for work.

Keith couldn’t sleep at all, all day. Instead, he spent it pacing the apartment, clawing his scratching post to pieces and nosing around Lance’s living room. He looked through Lance’s DVD and book collection, seemed they had a reasonable amount in common. Although he didn’t seem to have the same soft spot for romances that Keith had.

When the door opened and the miserable feeling returned, Keith snapped to attention. Lance walked in, Keith meowed, Lance didn’t even seem to notice. He walked right past the living room and into his bedroom, taking his miserable feelings with him. Keith trotted after him. Hey, Lance had taken good care of him, the least Keith could do was offer support.

Lance had his face buried in his pillow, but looked up as Keith wandered into the room. He began to talk, well, ramble. Something about him being a terrible owner, which Keith would certainly protest. Keith had been avoiding going into Lance’s bedroom, even though he thought Keith was a normal cat, he was still going to respect Lance’s privacy. Now though, Lance needed him.

Hopping up onto the bed, Keith lay himself over Lance’s chest to stop him from moving. Lance seemed surprised, but moved to pet Keith anyway. Keith relaxed and that was when he heard and felt it. He was purring, Keith had never purred before. It was nice.

They lay there for a little while, until Lance’s stomach rumbled and Keith realised, yeah, he was hungry too. Standing up, Keith wandered to the kitchen, meowing all the while. If he got Lance to eat while he was at it, well that was just a bonus.

****

Six weeks. Turns out there was a really nice sunny spot in Lance’s bedroom Keith hadn’t known about before.

Keith had noticed there was something unusual about the apartment from the beginning, but hadn’t been able to put his finger about what it was. That was, until Lance brought a plant home while raving about his friend Allura. Lance’s entire apartment was filed with a protective circle.

Allura had to be a witch—the specific plants in the specific places could not be a coincidence. It was interesting, how the magic circle was designed to hide Lance’s attractive aura, as well as protect him from some bad magic.

Keith stared at the new plant that Lance had put in, he’d put it in the wrong place to reinforce the circle. There wasn’t really anything Keith could do to move it though, well short of turning back to human and moving it himself. Keith didn’t want to do that though. So Keith took to glaring in frustration at it.

Goddamnit Lance, she was trying to protect him. He just couldn’t get where to put a damn plant right.

****

Seven weeks. Some may say Keith was taking advantage of the situation. Keith would tell those people to screw off. He had to wear a collar; that was penance enough.

Keith had resigned himself to Lance’s bedroom while his friends were over. It was fine, Keith liked being in Lance’s room, his bed and pillow were so comfortable. Stretching and rolling onto his back, Keith relaxed himself completely.

Keith really wanted to be pet, but Lance was in the living room with his magical friends. His magical friends who would recognise Keith immediately for being a familiar, and ruin the whole thing he had going on here. They may make him find a new witch. Keith didn’t want a new witch. Keith wanted to stay here, with Lance.

Keith blinked, flipping over so he was laying on his front. Wait, did he… Oh no, he liked Lance, as in, he had a crush on the other man. No, no he can’t do that.

Hopping down off the bed, Keith padded over to the door. Looking over to Lance, playing games, chatting and laughing with his friends. Oh no, Keith was suddenly very aware of his heartbeat. When Lance’s emotions lit up upon seeing Keith, he was gone. Both his feelings crashing down on him and him vanishing back into the bedroom. Oh god, of all the things to have happened, why did it have to be something like this?

Well, Keith had to squash those feelings right down. He had no intention of ever revealing to Lance he was not an ordinary cat.

****

Eight weeks, two months of living with Lance. His stupid feelings hadn’t faded no matter how much Keith tried to beat them down. Lance was just too damn nice and a complete dork and gah! It was so frustrating.

Allura was apparently coming to visit with some of her friends, which was cool. Keith would certainly be taking a peek at her. Pidge had moved the plant into the correct place, so the magic circle was incredibly strong, which would probably do well at hiding Keith, provided she didn’t look directly at him.

Lance seemed a little nervous, but Keith couldn’t really do anything about it other than offer moral support. He didn’t know what Lance was so worried about, although, to be fair, Lance is a little annoying at first. He was really going all in though; Keith could feel his nerves.

When the knock came at the door, Keith hopped off the chair and into Lance’s bedroom. Hopping up onto the bed, Keith curled up contentedly. He was happy, for the first time in a very long while, Keith was undeniably happy. That all changed when he felt the shift in Lance’s emotions.

Keith picked his head up when Lance walked in, concerned over his tumultuous emotions. Keith blinked as Lance reached down and undid his collar, scooping him into his arms in the process. Keith settled against his chest, blinking up at Lance. What was going on?

Of all the people Keith never wanted to see again, his old witch was one of them. Yet here he was, having the audacity to stand in Lance’s living room. Keith hissed and tried to escape Lance’s arms. There was no way in hell he was ever going back! Did he just forget what he did to Keith?!

Freeing himself from Lance’s arms, Keith darted under the sofa. Luckily, Lance seemed intent on preventing Keith from going anywhere, having picked up on his uncomfortable behaviour. The witch would have to give up eventually. Surely even he wouldn’t be stupid enough to use his magic on an ordinary human.

Keith was apparently wrong about that.

Keith didn’t even think when he heard Lance’s scream. Lunging out from his cover, he savaged the witch’s hand and arm. He didn’t hesitate to take his more human form to block Lance from the magic attack.

“Leave him alone!” he shouted.

“He is being troublesome,” the witch said.

Lance started screaming again. Keith didn’t even bother talking anymore. The witch had never listened to him before, he probably wasn’t going to start now. Keith tackled him, growling and baring his sharpened teeth.

The door burst open, the woman, the witch in the doorway shouting. Her familiar streaked past, a huge black lion with a white mane. Lance had fallen silent. Scarily silent.

“Lance!” Keith shouted, “What did you do to him?!”

“I dealt with him,” the witch said.

Keith snarled, ears back, tail swishing. No, no way in hell. Keith raised his hand to strike, but it was grabbed before he could bring it down.

“No,” the woman said, “I will deal with him. Lance is alright.”

Keith backed up, before rushing to Lance’s side.

“Don’t think I’m through with you!” the witch said, standing up.

“Yes, you are,” the woman declared, her entire body crackling with power.

Keith rested his hand on Lance’s cheek. There wasn’t any response.

“I would suggest you leave,” she continued, “Fast.”

“That is my familiar.”

“I am not your familiar,” Keith spat, “After everything you have done, you expect me to go back to you? Get out.” Keith could feel his fury, rolling off him in waves.

“I…” the man started, but never finished, crying out.

“I warned you,” Allura said, “I suggest you leave before I do something much worse.”

He stood for a second, before seeming to decide it was not worth the fight. After all, he was familiarless. He bolted, leaving through the shattered door. Keith’s attention immediately returned to Lance.

“Keith?” a quiet and very familiar voice said.

Keith looked up and, it was… “Shiro?”

The woman, who he now knew was Shiro’s witch Allura, wandered over to Lance. She was crackling with magic again, but a kinder magic, a healing magic. Leaving Lance with her, Keith stood up to greet his old friend.

“Hey.” Shiro smiled. “It’s good to see you.”

Keith rushed forwards, wrapping his arms around Shiro in a tight hug. Shiro curled his own arms around Keith, rubbing up and down his back. He’d changed so much. His hair was white now, a huge scar across his nose and a prosthetic arm. His hugs felt just the same though.

“What happened?” Shiro asked, pulling Keith away to hold him at arm’s length.

“I would like to know that too,” Allura said, “But first we should move to somewhere more comfortable.”

Keith nodded. “Bedroom’s this way.”

Shiro picked Lance up and they moved him into his bedroom, lowering him carefully into his bed. Gathering a few chairs from around Lance’s apartment, they all settled around him.

“So, what happened?” Shiro asked again.

Keith explained everything, from his connection being severed, being dumped on the side of the road, to wandering, to finding Lance, to just being his pet. By the end of it, Keith let out a long breath, head dropping. He could feel both Allura and Shiro fuming.

“How could he just…” Allura sputtered, “How could he just sever your connection like that?”

Keith sighed, “Honestly, he never really liked me.”

There was a slight noise from the bed, the three of them looked down at Lance. He hadn’t woken up, but he had groaned and moved.

“What are we going to do about him?” Keith asked.

“Well, that depends,” Allura sighed, “I was thinking of revealing us… the magic world to him. I’m assuming you noticed too, the aura he has around him? I’m assuming that’s why you were drawn to him. That’s why so many magical beings are.”

Keith nodded, resting his hand on Lance’s arm.

“I was thinking of telling him, to help protect him. But, if you want to keep your secret, I will respect that and can manipulate a few things,” Allura said, “It is up to you.”

Keith looked at Lance, looked at him peacefully laying there in bed. His heart was pounding a little, he didn’t know what to do. Sure, Allura said she wanted to tell Lance about their world, but it would destroy Lance’s entire world view and may very well get Keith kicked out of his currently comfortable life. But, she was right, he needed to know, just in case something like this happens again.

“No, it’s okay, we’ll tell him.”

Allura smiled. “Alright, I’m going to make some tea.”

Shiro nodded. “I’m going to clean up. We kind of made a mess.”

Keith let out a long breath, “I’ll wait here.”

The two of them left the bedroom, leaving Keith and Lance alone. Hesitantly, Keith reached out and squeezed Lance’s hand, before dropping it quickly.

Alright, now all he had to do was wait for Lance to wake up. Who knows how he would react.

** **

** Lance and Keith **

Lance blinked awake very slowly, his head pounding a little, his limbs aching. What the hell happened? No way what he was remembering actually happened. Lance forced his eyes open, before snapping them closed again. Oh no.

There was a guy sat next to him.

“Lance,” he could only assume the guy said, “Lance?”

Lance opened his eyes, looking over at the guy. He looked a little rough, with pale skin and long black hair, dressed in black. Lance registered all of these things, before his eyes were drawn to the cat ears perched on his head.

“Oh.” Lance breathed, feeling himself starting to freak out.

He remembered his cat turning into a guy. This guy. This guy was his cat. What the hell.

“Here,” the guy said, holding out a mug of something, “Drink this.”

“I… what…?” Lance said, staring at the mug.

“Drink,” the guy repeated, pressing the mug into Lance’s hands.

Lance’s hands were shaking, but he slowly lifted it to his lips. It was tea, an herby mixture he recognised as one Allura had gifted him. He took a sip and instantly felt himself relax. The ache in his muscles eased and his mind cleared.

“What?” Lance croaked, looking at the guy, “What happened? Who are you?”

The man smiled gently. “I’m Keith, or as you knew me, Midnight.”

“So, you’re my cat? And now you’re a person?”

“I’m a familiar,” Keith explained, “A witch’s familiar. That man who came in was my old witch. He severed our connection and dumped me out on the side of the road until you took me in.”

Lance’s brain had short circuited. “What? No— you— what? This is not possible.”

Keith smiled gently, his ear flicking. Right in front of Lance’s eyes, he transformed. From a reasonably cute guy to a black cat.

“Oh,” Lance said, staring at the cat that was now sat on the chair, “Oh.”

At a loss for anything to say, Lance took another sip of his tea. It helped relax him, seeming to make what he’d just seen, what Keith had just done more plausible. Keith transformed back, one moment a cat, the next moment a person.

“Oh, okay,” Lance said, quietly, “So, you’re a familiar?”

Keith nodded.

“And you were pretending to be a cat?”

Keith pulled a face. “Yeah, I… I was having a real rough time trying to live on the streets. You offered me a warm, dry place to stay. How was I supposed to say no to that?”

“And you stayed?” Lance asked, “Even though I treated you just like a cat.”

Keith shrugged. “I was happy. You were treating me really well, and I enjoyed spending time with you.”

“Wow, your witch must have been really bad,” Lance commented.

Keith’s face broke into a relieved smile. “You have no idea.”

****

Keith was honestly surprised how well Lance took the whole thing. Although that probably had something to do with the tea Allura had made, mixed with a little magic to open Lance’s mind more. It also helped that he’d been surrounded by magic people a lot, so had noticed some unusual things that he’d previously written off as a trick of the light.

Keith was also a little thrown by the fact Lance had let him stay with him, in the spare room. He’d said he’d intended to get a housemate at some point. He also took the fact all his friends were some form of magic being really well, better than they’d taken Lance’s cat being a familiar.

Refusing to mooch off Lance while he was being a human, Keith got himself a job. He wasn’t really sure what he wanted to do and, as a familiar, he had no formal education, or any magical education. Luckily Hunk’s father, who was a witch, was willing to give Keith an apprenticeship at his garage. Keith found himself quite enjoying it.

There was one issue living with Lance though: instead of his crush being squashed, it only seemed to grow. Stupid, traitorous emotions, how could they do this to him?

“I don’t know what to do,” Keith whined, burying his face in his hands, “What the hell am I supposed to do?”

“Tell him how you feel,” Adam said, from his place perched on the barstool by the kitchen.

Now, Keith liked Adam. He was an earth spirit and made Shiro so damn happy. He was also a really smart and stand-up guy. Right now though?

“I’m not talking to you,” Keith hissed, crossing his arms.

“Okay. Trust me, you do not want Shiro’s opinion on this matter. He’s terrible at romance.”

“Hey!” Shiro protested.

“Sorry, honey, but you really are,” Adam said, “Look, just think it over and remember, you won’t know how he feels about you unless you ask. Not only that, you’ll have to see him go out with other people.”

Keith felt something heavy sink in his stomach. Goddamn, how dare Adam hit him right where it hurt. How dare he be right.

“I’ll… think it over,” Keith sighed.

“So, how’s work been,” Shiro asked.

Keith was incredibly grateful to the change in topic.

****

“I think I like Keith,” Lance said, staring at his hands.

“Oh whaaaaaat?” Pidge drawled sarcastically, “No way!”

“Pidge,” Hunk groaned, “You’re not helping.”

“Is it really that obvious?” Lance muttered, “Oh god, Keith’s an empath isn’t he?”

Lance had had a crazy few months. An absolutely bonkers few months. Not only was his cat not really a cat, his two best friends were a witch and a pixie, his oldest friend was a witch, and apparently there were magical people everywhere. It had been a bit rough and mind blowing but Lance was coping fine…

“Don’t worry, if he’s got even the tiniest grasp on his powers, he should be nice enough to not read your emotions all the time,” Hunk reassured, patting Lance’s arm.

“It’s not that obvious,” Pidge added, “We just know you really well.”

Lance groaned, “Well, what do I do? Are humans even allowed to date familiars?”

Hunk shrugged. “Oh yeah, provided the familiar has a human form, whatever. They’re their own person. I think you should ask him out.”

“You do?” Lance asked.

“Sure,” Pidge agreed, “If it stops you moping to us.”

“Gee,” Lance said, “Thanks.”

“I think you’d be good for each other,” Hunk said.

Lance nodded, looking down at his hands. There was just one thing that was bothering him.

****

“Hey, good day?” Lance called from the kitchen as Keith walked in.

“Yeah, it’s been good.” Keith smiled. He really wanted to walk up and wrap his arms around Lance’s waist, press a kiss to the back of his neck and oh boy he was way gone. “That smells good.”

“Well, that’s always a good thing,” Lance said, “Can’t guarantee it’s going to taste good.”

“It usually does,” Keith replied.

Lance shrugged, there was something on his mind. Keith didn’t pry though, that was the fastest way to get Lance to shut down.

The two of them ate dinner and, Keith was right, it did taste good. It wasn’t until the two of them were kicked back on the sofa that Lance spoke.

“Hey, Keith,” Lance said.

Keith hummed, turning to look at him.

“Don’t you… you know… want a witch again?” Lance asked.

Keith felt his stomach drop and his ears flatten against his skull. What? Why would Lance ask that? Did he not want Keith around anymore? Was this his subtle way of trying to kick Keith out?

“What? No? I don’t. I hated being someone’s familiar, why would I want to do that again?”

“Well, you did have a crappy witch, what if you had a nice one?” Lance replied.

“I…” Keith started, frowning. He didn’t want a new witch, no matter how nice they were to him. He didn’t want to be someone’s familiar. He liked his life just the way it was. “No? Why? I’m happy here! Do you want me to move out?”

“What? No! I just thought, you’re a familiar? Shouldn’t you want to find a witch? Why would you want to stay here, with just an ordinary human,” Lance said.

“I’m happy here. I like living here with you and trust me, Lance, you’re far from ordinary.” Keith smiled.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Lance pouted.

Keith wanted to kiss him. Keith wanted to kiss him so badly. Adam had suggested Keith confess, maybe he wasn’t as full of crap as Keith had thought.

Keith shifted closer, bridging the gap between them. “It means you’re a very interesting person, and I’m glad I know you.”

Lance blinked, his eyes widening. “I’m glad I know you too.”

Lance didn’t move away, if anything he seemed to be leaning closer. Screw it, Keith was going to take this chance.

“I want to kiss you,” Keith whispered.

“Go ahead,” Lance mumbled back.

Keith smiled, before pressing their lips together.

Now, Keith was not experienced with kissing, or relationships, at all. His witch had spent all his time studying, forcing Keith to spend all his time shut up in either the library or his study. Keith just hadn’t had a chance to be around anyone, so the second he pressed their lips together, Keith was suddenly struck with how inexperienced he was.

Luckily, Lance was much more practiced, quickly taking over the kiss. Keith virtually melted, completely relinquishing control. Lance’s hand slipped around his waist, tugging Keith closer so they were pressed together.

Eventually Lance pulled away, Keith making a protesting noise and trying to chase after him.

“Easy,” Lance laughed, “We have time.”

Keith felt himself flush a little. “Yeah?” he murmured, “Yeah, I suppose we do.”

** One week later **

“We should get a cat,” Lance said suddenly one day.

“Huh,” Keith responded, glancing over, “Wha…?”

“We should get a cat,” Lance repeated, “I mean an actual cat, not a familiar pretending to be one. I mean, we have all this stuff.”

“I still use the scratching post!” Keith protested, “And the cat tree!”

Lance shot him an unamused look. “And you still can. Look, I got used to having a cat around and I want one again.”

Keith pouted, his ears flicking back slightly. “I’m a cat.”

“Not a familiar,” Lance stated, “Are you getting jealous of a hypothetical cat?”

“No,” Keith pouted.

Lance laughed, “I promise you will still be my favourite.”

Keith glowered at him. Lance wandered over, wrapping his arms around Keith’s shoulders and pressing kisses to the top of his head.

“Promise,” Lance said.

Keith huffed out a laugh, shaking his head. “Fine, we can get a cat.”

They ended up getting two.

**Author's Note:**

> This is an idea I've had knocking around in my head for a while and I have finally got it down.   
So um...yeah...Keith is happy, Lance is happy, happiness all around.
> 
> Comments and kudos are always appreciated, thanks for reading!


End file.
